30 SEP 11 -- Squat Your Way to Success

I'm running out of titles for my blog entries, lol. Please excuse the nutty title for today's post.

Squat moves up 10 lbs for a new training max of 530 lbs and today is 3 x 5 in the wave.

Warm up sets

135 x 5
210 x 5
265 x 5
320 x 3

Working sets

345 x 5
400 x 5
450 x 5

As I've been doing this part of the wave, I'm just sticking with the requisite reps on the last set. The last set was form-focused and I made sure to go as deep as I could. After the last set, I actually didn't feel like doing anymore. A co-worker of mine was in the gym this morning, and we chatted a bit before my workout, something which may have thrown me off a bit. Regardless, I continued on with the workout, doing the assistance work.

Squat 265 lbs for 5 x 10.

Front squat

135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

The front squat is moving ahead slowly, as I am experimenting with what I am capable of doing. The last set was heavier than last week, twenty pounds more, and it still felt good. Keeping the bar tight, and looking up to the point on the ceiling is helping my form, and I was able to go really deep on these. It seems somewhat odd, however, in that I am doing much less on a squat than what I would be doing on movement such as bench press.

29 SEP 11 -- Vacation Benching

If you're wondering why I am only posting today, it's because I was on vacation in northern Ontario with my wife. We just got back yesterday from a nice little trip of canoeing and hiking in Algonquin Park. It was beautiful, the leaves on the maple trees were blazing red, and there's nothing like all that fresh autumn air to revive one's soul. The kids were babysat by my parents. Time away as a couple is good for the marriage.

Today, I hit the bench for a 3 x 5 session, using the new training max of 355 lbs.

Warm up sets

45 x 25
140 x 5
180 x 5
215 x 3

Working sets

230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 7

I was planning on just staying with the requisite 5 reps, as per Wendler's advice, but I couldn't help myself adding an extra two reps, just for the hell of it.

Assistance work:

Close-grip bench press in strip fashion

230 x 2 x 10
225 x 8 (I lost steam, lol)
215 x 10
210 x 10

One arm dumbbell row with 120 lbs for 3 x 10 each side.
Cable row 150 lbs for 3 x 15

That was a wrap, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's squat session. Thanks for tuning in and see you tomorrow!

The Hills are Alive !

I never got around to getting those hill sprints done the other day. So, when I woke up this morning, I thought that there's no better time than now to get them in. It was a good decision, not only because they need to be worked on, but also because of the beautiful autumn day.

The hill I use for the sprints is out in the countryside, on the outskirts of the town I live in. It is a very long, steep hill that can be used for distance increments. I like to park the car at the bottom, do a little stretching, then start with a warm up run on the hill. The next several sprints are done all-out. Today, since I haven't done these in a while, I kept it at four sprints. The distance for each sprint is about 80 yards. It was a good workout and a nice start for my plan to reincorporate these into my training.

As mentioned, it's a beautiful day here, the leaves have changed colour, the air is nice and cool and a wonderful breeze is blowing. Along the edge of the dirt road on the hill, there are plenty of walnut trees and bush and once you arrive at the top of the hill, you can see for miles over the valley. I am very grateful to live where I do.

24 SEP 11 -- Investing in the Dead

It's a beautiful day, sunny and cool, and there's no better way to start that day than to hit the gym for a good dead lift workout. Today's workout is 3 x 5 and the dead lift training max bumps up to 540 lbs.

Warm up sets

215 x 5
270 x 5
325 x 3

Working sets

350 x 5
405 x 5
460 x 5

Again, I am utilizing Wendler's suggestion of remaining with just 5 reps for the last set on 3 x 5 week. The weight felt light and I think I could have easily done another 5.

Assistance work for the day began with shrugs.

315 x 20
335 x 8
355 x 5
225 x 30

Chin ups

Bodyweight x 15
25 lbs x 6
35 x 5

I was going to do some power cleans, but ended up doing a set of 5 hang cleans with 135 lbs. Looking at the clock, I realized it was time to go back to the house and get myself changed and ready so I could pick up my wife at work. Today's workout was a lot better than yesterday's, and hitting 15 bodyweight chin ups is a further step towards my year end goal of 20 at bodyweight. I find it interesting how some training days can be great, others average, and then there are the absolutely shitty ones which periodically rear their ugly heads.

I have been assessing the past several weeks, and as much as I don't want to, I may have to recalculate my training max for the overhead press and start with a new number. This is Wendler's remedy for when the reps stall. At the same time, taking a deload week may improve the situation too. Perhaps this is the most important dimension of the problem. As stated previously, I've been avoiding the deloads, being overly eager for progress, yet the deload is a key component of the program. I will go through this wave and once completed, take a whole deload week. During that deload, I'll focus more on cardio. I'm going to use 250 lbs for the 3 x 3 session and see where I am at. If I fail with the last set, then I will definitely recalculate.

23 SEP 11 -- An Unholy Trinity

I should be on a week-long deload after last week's 5/3/1, but I decided to take just a couple days off and then hit a new wave. After today's letdown, I think the deload may have been more necessary than I surmised. I've been avoiding the deload weeks for a long time, and if I'm going to follow Wendler's program as it is laid out, I had better start deloading when it's called for.

Overhead press 3 x 5 and the new training max is 250 lbs. Here we go:

Warm up sets (with cleans)

45 x 15
100 x 5
125 x 5
150 x 3

Working sets

165 x 5
190 x 5
215 x 3

Yep, that does piss me off. I was supposed to hit at least 5 reps for this last set, but lost drive at 3. Everything was tight, but at 3 reps, I just lost focus. There could be several reasons for this, the first one being that the deload should have been a priority, but I know that this morning when I woke up, my left shoulder was stiff from sleeping on that side. Also, I've had something on my mind for the last couple of days and it sort of predominated my thoughts during the workout. I'm not going to expand on it here, but it's bothering me to say the least. Like I said in my first blog entry, "ups and downs in training and in life". End of rant.

I made the decision to go back for some extra sets on the overhead press to make up for the lost reps on my final set. I went in strip fashion:

190 x 5
185 x 5
175 x 5
165 x 5

Press behind neck with the barbell:

125 x 2 x 8
130 x 8
135 x 8

One arm dumbbell press (each side):

40 x 15
50 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 10
85 x 5

No chin ups or dips today. I had to get some important errands done. Apart from the two lost reps, it was a good workout and I trained as hard as I could. Last week was very good, so it stands that a bad workout will have to make it's way in at some point. That's just the way it is.

The Kinks:

20 SEP 11 -- Seconds at the Squat Smorgasbord

I love buffets! Whether it be a Chinese buffet, all you can eat, or a nice roast beef smorgasbord or seafood buffet, I like hitting it. And hitting it hard...

Today was another round at the squat buffet. Lots of squats, lots of leg work. It's 5/3/1 day in the wave, and the training max is 520 lbs.

Warm up sets

135 x 5
210 x 5
260 x 5
310 x 3

Working sets

390 x 5
440 x 3
495 x 2

I think I might have been able to get a third rep on the last set, but decided to keep it at that. It was a good set, I felt confident with the weight, and it was very cool to see the bar do a jiggle at the top, lol!

Assistance work was very basic today: 260 lbs squats for 5 x 10

I spent time again with the front squat.

135 x 10
175 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5

I still am having difficulty with my wrist flexibility, so these were all cross-armed front squats. Looking at Youtube vids of other strongmen doing front squats, I noticed a lot of them are doing them cross-armed, and with quite a bit of weight on the bar too. I will keep trying to get those wrists bent back. In the meantime, my form felt better on these front squats in the cross-armed position and I found that by focusing my gaze on a point close to the ceiling, the movement felt very balanced and was not uncomfortable.

No overhead squats today. I had to get back to the house and get ready for the rest of the day. Tomorrow will be cardio, and as my fellow 5/3/1 devotee Gabe Malone is doing lots of, it will be hill sprints. Thanks for the inspiration, Gabe! Check out Gabe's blog here:

A Year on Wendler's 5/3/1

19 SEP 11 -- Health Clubs

In power lifting circles, health clubs get a bum rap, often disparaged as being unconducive to hardcore training. Perhaps some of them are. The club I am training at, however, has been nothing short of supportive of my training and goals. I will add, though, that it is a two-way street, whereby showing some respect for other non-powerlifting members has been one of my ethics.

During my workouts, I could easily let myself roar like a lion on a heavy squat or scream like a Viking berserker during a max dead lift, but I generally keep it bottled up to a low grunt, lol. Also, no slamming the weights on the floor, just in case someone falls off the treadmill in the cardio room. At the same time, I have always been encouraged by the words and support of my fit friends at the club, and for that, I am grateful. Different goals, different means to those goals from the way I am training, but mutual respect for each other. As well, the owners of the club have been very supportive and accomodating to my needs. I have noticed a positive energy when I train there and it is tangible.

Anyways, to get back to the subject on hand, today is 5/3/1 for the bench press and the training max is 350 lbs.

Warm up sets

45 x 25
140 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 3

Working sets

265 x 5
300 x 3
335 x 5

The bench is still moving along.

Assistance work

Close-grip bench press done in strip fashion
225 x 10
220 x 10
215 x 10
210 x 2 x 10

Single dumbbell rows (each side)
100 x 10
115 x 2 x 10
120 x 10

Dips were bodyweight only today, as I was feeling a bit nauseated for some reason, and went as follows, 20, 10, 10, 10 for 50 total.

Face pulls 30 lbs x 10 (!), 50 x 2 x 10

I'm feeling better now. I don't know why I felt the nausea. Maybe it's morning sickness, lol :)

17 SEP 11 -- Another Breakthrough

These last two workouts have been very good. Today, I was able to move to a new level on my dead lift. The training max is 530 lbs and it's 5/3/1 day in the wave.

Warm up sets

210 x 5
265 x 5
320 x 3

Working sets

400 x 5
450 x 3
505 x 6

That's the most number of reps on any 500+ bar that I've ever done. No pauses or rest, just all-out effort. What a feeling! Progress.

Assistance work continued to focus on pulling.

Barbell shrugs
225 x 30, 25
315 x 15
335 x 8 (the grip was getting tired)

Power cleans
135 x 5
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 2
205 x 1 (again, tired)

Chin ups
BW x 12
25 lbs x 5
35 x 4

That was it for today's session. I was tired before I even hit the gym, and in fact, it was a friend`s phone call that got me out of bed this morning. Lazy, I know, but those 11-7 shifts can do it to you. I`ve been working these shifts for twenty-five years now, and they still take a toll on me.

Here`s a little bit of Beck for the day:

16 SEP 11 -- The Power of One

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

Tolkienesque quotes aside, the number "one" has great significance. It is the first number, the beginning and the end of things. One living cell reproduces until an entire organic unit comes into being, and one living cell remains until it too dies and the organism goes out of living existence. One dollar can be the beginning of great investments, one bullet can put a plate of venison on the table for dinner, one proposal can create a marriage that results in children whose family line may last for thousands of years.

Tolkien knew the power of one, and the Ring Trilogy takes it as a theme, tying it also to the power of the will. Today's workout also has a theme, and it too centers on the number one.

Overhead press, 5/3/1 day and the training max is 245 lbs (yes, it's still there!).

Warm up sets

45 x 15
100 x 5
125 x 5
145 x 3

Working sets

185 x 5
210 x 3
235 x 1

My earlier digression into numerical significance is the result of a mental focus that I entered into prior to today's session. If you've been reading this log for the past several weeks, you will remember how I've been having difficulty maintaining my strength on the overhead press. I calculated today's percentage for the final set at 95% of the training max, and once rounded, it came out to 235 lbs, a weight which I knew would present a serious challenge, and possible failure, to my efforts on the overhead press. To obtain success on the last set, I mentally prepared for the lift for the entire time preceding entry into the gym, from the time I awoke from the post-sleep of last night's 11-7 shift right up until walking through the door to the gym. "Go for one...go for one..."

I focused on the lift, seeing it in my mind, visualizing it, all the while resolving on getting at least one good rep at that weight. The requisite number was one, and seeing the bar overhead, arms locked out, I could only help feeling total satisfaction, and relief, that the objective was met and that I am still ahead in the game. If you're a casual reader, someone who doesn't train the power lifts, you may not comprehend this, but for me, every workout is of crucial importance, and a new success after so many recent failures, a breakthrough to a new level, gives me the same feeling as a mountain climber who ascends to a new peak.

The assistance work for today continued on with overhead pressing. No chin ups, no dips, just overhead pressing. "If you want to press more, press more," was the theme.

Barbell military press 145 lbs for 5 x 10

One arm dumbbell press
40 lbs x 3 x 15 (each side)
50 x 10
55 x 8
60 x 6
65 x 6
70 x 5
75 x 5
85 x 5

That's a lot of extra work on the overhead press, but I want to keep training it, making sure I can keep up with the next wave which begins at 250 lbs.

13 SEP 11 -- Squats and More Squats

It's 3 x 3 day for squatting and the training max is 520 lbs.

Warm up sets

Power clean 135 x 5
Squat 135 x 5
210 x 5
260 x 5
310 x 3

Working sets

415 x 3
440 x 3
470 x 4

I was feeling strong on all the sets. Working 11-7 shift again, I wasn't too sure how this session would go, but I had a good sleep and didn't hit the gym till the late afternoon, so the energy level was there.

Assistance work was more squats, doing 315 lbs for 5 x 10, taking as little rest between sets as possible. This was like a cardio session.

I concluded with front squats, again going light and focusing on form and mechanics. Once I get this movement down, then I will add more weight.

Sets of 5: 135, 145, 155, 165 and 175 lbs.

My wrist flexibility is very poor, and I find it difficult doing this exercise with the hands in the proper position, so I had to revert to crossed-arms. Don't fret, I'll keep practicing!

11 SEP 11 -- Benching on a Sunday Afternoon

In days of old, men would spend their Sunday afternoons with their wives and children at church picnics, not sweating it out at gyms doing large numbers of bench presses. Which is precisely what I did today, being a modern man in avid pursuit of the elusive big bench.

Bench training max is 350 lbs and today is 3 x 3.

Warm up sets

45 x 25
140 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 3

Working sets

280 x 3
300 x 3
315 x 7

I was hoping for at least 8 reps, having planned today's workout as an all-out effort on the last set, but this is what I ended up with. Sometimes, you can intend on doing your best only to get results which fall short, while other workouts can start with a complete lack of motivation and drive, then turn out to produce outstanding results, even personal records. I think that today was in the middle. I consider workouts like this to be investments which eventually pay off over time.

Assistance work was a little on the same note.

Close-grip bench press 225 x 10, 210 x 4 x 10

I worked on chin ups, but just didn't have the heart for it today.

Bodyweight x 10,
25 lbs x 5, 4
35 x 2

One arm dumbbell rows in sets of 10: 95 lbs, 100 lbs, 115 lbs each side

I worked on some flexibility for my wrists. The plan is to do front squats and power cleans, so I need to train my wrists to bend back more. I spent time with the bar in position at the top where a front squat would be, or a power clean upon completion, letting the bar stretch the wrist back. Tomorrow, if I can get down to the gym, front squats and power cleans will be on the agenda, so this stretching will help.

09 SEP 11 -- Cleanin' Up on a Dead Day

Dead lift training max is 530 lbs, and it's 3 x 3 day.

Warm up sets

210 x 5
265 x 5
320 x 3

Working sets

425 x 3
450 x 3
480 x 6

I wanted to do more reps, but kept it in the hole today. Next week, it's going to be all out on my 95% set.

Barbell shrugs for assistance:

225 x 30
315 x 15
335 x 10
355 x 5

Power cleans was the next focus for today's workout. I started light for form's sake, then progressively increased the weight, working for explosiveness and speed.

135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5
175 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 1

I decided to superset wide-grip upright rows (where the hands are past the rings on the bar) and face pulls. This is what it looked like:

Wide-grip upright rows 135 x 3 x 10
Face pull 70 x 3 x 10

A lot of trap work today. No chin ups today, although I had planned to do them. I liked the way the workout went regardless. I'll hit the chins again on bench press day, which will be on Sunday. Tomorrow, I have a long trip starting in the morning. My oldest son bought himself a sailboat, his first one, and we are going to pick it up.

See you on Sunday, and enjoy your Saturday! Ciao !

08 SEP 11 -- Return of the Overhead Press

Today, I made the decision to continue with the training max of 245 lbs for overhead press. It was the right decision as you will see.  3 x 3 day:

Warm up sets

45 x 15
100 x 5
125 x 5
145 x 3

Working sets

195 x 3
210 x 3
220 x 3

Happily, I was able to meet my requisite reps on my last set. I tried going for 4, but the bar wouldn't move up past the halfway mark. Nevertheless, I am pleased that my strength has returned, and that I was able to meet today's requisite...hope on the horizon !

I did two sets of push presses after:

225 x 2
235 x 1

Assistance work continued on with overhead pressing movements. No chin ups or dips today, because I want to focus on upwards mechanics.

Barbell press behind neck 125 lbs for 4 x 8, 135 lbs for a set of 8
One arm dumbbell press 40 lbs for 3 x 15 each side.

Here is a master of the shoulder press, Mr. Mariusz Pudzianowski. I can't pronounce his last name, but what he is demonstrating in this video transcends all language barriers:

06 SEP 11 -- Squat Smorgasbord

In previous entries, I wrote of how I want to train the power clean more. Today's workout started off with a power clean warm up of 2 sets of 5 at 135 lbs, focusing on speed and form. This exercise really does a great job of warming up, and the blood circulation feeling was tangible. I'll continue to do this exercise for warm ups, but will also train it on its own for strength gains.

After the cleans, I jumped into the squat rack for my warm up sets. Today, the squat training max moves up 10 lbs to 520 lbs, and it's the start of a new wave for squats, with the template being 3 x 5.

135 x 5
210 x 5
260 x 5
310 x 3

The warm up squats felt great. The cleans helped.

Working sets

340 x 5
390 x 5
440 x 5

Again, I stayed with the requisite reps, as per Wendler's advice.

Hypertrophy work for the legs was squats, ass to the grass style, doing 260 lbs for 5 x 10, and keeping rest to as minimal as possible (this helps with HGH release).

Instead of training hamstrings via leg curls, I opted to work on some front squats, an exercise which I have not trained since last summer. My wrist flexibility isn't all that great, and my left wrist gets sore from time to time for some unknown reason, so I did these cross-armed or "California-style".

135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5

This was just playing around, trying to see where I was with the movement, so these sets were light. This exercise is highly recommended for strongman training, more so than the regular squat, and reading the training logs of other strongmen, I've noticed that at times, it is the exclusive squat that they use. I find it more uncomfortable than anything else, having the bar sit on the upper chest/throat area. It's a weird feeling doing squats like this. I will be working on these more often as well. So, you can say that this will be day one in my journal for front squatting. Remember that, and if I stray, remind me!

I did two more sets of power cleans at 135 lbs, doing 5 reps each time. I had a spotter check my form, to make sure I was doing them correctly. Apparently, they looked alright, lol.

I finished the session today with 10 reps of overhead squats with the empty bar, working on trying to increase my depth. This is one difficult exercise, and I want to improve on it. The overhead squat is also highly recommended, being a staple for strength athletes, especially Olympic lifters, but also seems very popular with the Crossfit community.

I've been reading Crossfit members' training journals and I saw how they were practicing the overhead bar carry. There was only one other person in the gym today, so I moved some of the benches around (it's a smaller gym and can be a bit of a maze with all the equipment in the room) and practiced this. I tried it with the empty bar, doing a walk of ten or so feet, then returning back to start. I also tried it with the bar loaded with two 10 lbs plates, and did four walks for a total of roughly 40 ft. This was just an experiment, but I noticed that my core muscles were feeling it. I think I will be doing this one as well. Strongman competitions focus on three events: lift, carry and drag (with throwing at times ie. keg toss), so this movement would probably benefit the carry and lift movements by working the core more intensely.

04 SEP 11 -- Pec Pumpin' and Mini-Tires

The bench press moves up 5 lbs to 350 and today is the 3 x 5 workout.

Warm up sets

45 x 25
140 x 5
175 x 5
210 x 5 (only required to do 3, but I put out 2 more reps by mistake)

Working sets

230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 5

I stayed with the requisite number of reps for the last set.

The decision was made to do a muscle building workout after this, shooting for some hypertrophy work for the pecs and lats. After my workout the other day, I was reading a new Canadian bodybuilding magazine that's just come out, and after looking at some of the bodybuilders' physiques featured in it, I thought it would be cool to work more on hypertrophy again. Big, strong and lean.

Pecs:

Incline bench press 185 x 10, 195 x 10, 205 x 8, 225 x 5, keeping rest to a minimum.
Incline dumbbell flyes 40 x 3 x 15

Back and Lats:

One arm dumbbell rows 85 x 2 x 10, 95 x 10, 100 x 10, 120 x 10
Wide grip cable pulldown 100 x 15, 125 x 2 x 15
Face pull 70 x 15, 10 (I lost concentration, as someone was talking to me), 15

Triceps work was just some cable extensions doing 70 x 10, 80 x 3 x 10

Again, the flexibility of the 5/3/1 program reveals itself to be adaptable to any agenda one might have, be it powerlifting, strongman, football, wrestling, martial arts, and yes, bodybuilding. It's a unique, yet simple plan, based on an uncomplicated linear progression, and very easily fitted into other training programs. Even the "bodyweight only" crowd can use this program to their advantage, as one of the assistance templates which Wendler includes in the manual incorporates bodyweight exercises after the main strength movements of the day.

Yesterday, I just did a mini-tire flip workout at my dad's place. There's an old Goodyear tractor tire there, which I think probably weighs around 250. That's just a guess. My oldest son and I were over for a visit, and I decided to do some tire flips with it while we sat outside on the patio, doing a total of 5 sets of 10. At first, it was just half-assed stuff, as I felt it would be better than doing nothing. Then it dawned on me how each tire has its own defined way of being flipped. This tire, for example, is light but it allows for explosive, rapid flipping movement to be trained. I would bend to grip the tire, and then explode upward while flipping it, driving powerfully off the ground, much like a  clean. The lightness of the tire also allowed me to focus more on the practice of the technique of "tire chasing", which is a vital part of successful tire-flipping, whereby the individual must keep in constant motion, working for speed before fatigue sets in.

There just might be room for this tire in the workout plan :)

02 SEP 11 -- Lifting the Dead

I was up late last night. I'm still on vacation from work, but for the past two days, I've been at home getting caught up on things, clean up and so on. I finally hit the sack at 4:30 a.m., then awoke 4 hours later to the sound of my dad ringing the doorbell. I think he wanted his lawn cut.  Right now, I feel like a bag of you know what, lol.

The dead lift bumps up 10 lbs for the next wave, moving to 530 lbs, and today is 3 x 5 workout.

Warm up sets

210 x 5
265 x 5
320 x 3

Working sets

345 x 5
400 x 5
450 x 5

I just stuck with the requisite number of reps today, as per Wendler's suggestion for this week. As to who was more dead, the barbell on the floor or the guy standing over it, is a matter of speculation.

Assistance work:

Barbell shrugs 265 lbs for 2 x 15, 315 for 10, then a set of 7 (the bar was getting slippery from my sweaty palms...the gym was really warm due to the heat wave in the area).

Chin ups

Bodyweight x 10
35 lbs x 2 x 4
47.5 x 2 x 3
50 x 2
55 x 2
60 x 2

I finished with two sets of power cleans doing 5 reps per set with 135 lbs. The objective was to do them as explosively as possible, working on speed, snap and good form. They looked alright in the mirror. I was thinking of adding some dumbbell rows, but just didn't have the zeal for it today. It was a good workout regardless.

01 SEP 11 -- Back from Vacation

I was able to get away for a few days to do some camping with the family. I just got back yesterday. I'm feeling tired today and I'm a bit sunburned from time on the beach with the kids and the dog. Camping outings are great fun, but they leave me a bit tired as opposed to refreshed.

I trained the overhead press today. It's 3 x 5 week, and the weight was upped 5 lbs to 245.

Warm up sets

45 x 15
100 x 5
125 x 5
145 x 3

Working sets

160 x 5
185 x 5
210 x 3

Yep...3 reps. If you recall my whining from the last overhead workout, I'm having problems as of late meeting reps which previously went up alright. Something is happening with this, and I'm wondering what to do. Is it time to recalculate, and go for 10% less on my training maxes, or do I need to make a correction somewhere else? It's strange, and if one of the readers wants to make a suggestion, I'm all ears.

I did some push presses to get some extra work in.

215 x 1
220 x 1
225 x 1

I tried to get 230 up, but it wasn't going to happen.

I did some shoulder work for assistance, but went the dumbbell route on this:

Seated dumbbell press 60 lbs for 5 x 10
Standing one arm dumbbell press 35 lbs for 2 x 15 each side, working on speed and crispness.
Double dumbbell clean and press 40 x 8, 45 x 8, 50 x 8

I would really like to get a log press and start training that lift, but I need to find an old cylinder so I can get it welded into the finished form. I used to work as a certified welder for a couple of years, but I haven't welded since 1995, so I am going to have a fellow strongman/welder finish this project for me. He will fabricate it to competition spec, and that will help with training the log press event.

In the meantime, it just may be time to recalculate my training max for overhead press. My other lifts are progressing, but this one is regressing for some reason unknown to me. Getting only 3 reps on 210 is wacky, since I passed this mark months ago. It may be that the past two overhead sessions were done at less than optimal times, and this is a possible coincidence, but it is a bit frustrating after all the hard workouts leading up to it. Oh well, that's part of the iron game.